CHARLOTTE – Highlighting the social, cultural, ethnic and artistic diversity of the metro Charlotte area’s lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) community, The LGBT Community Center of Charlotte will kick-off their 10-day Pride Charlotte Week slate of activities on Aug. 19. The diverse series of events run through Aug. 28, with its premier event, the annual Pride Charlotte Festival, taking over S. Tryon St. and Uptown’s Levine Center for the Arts on Saturday, Aug. 27, Noon-8 p.m. A full list of Pride Charlotte events and activities can be found at PrideCharlotte.com/events/.

For the first time, organizers have moved their annual festival to S. Tryon St., home to many of the city’s other high-profile festivals and street fairs. The event, featuring dozens of vendors and multiple stages of entertainment, will include featured national and local entertainers like Charlotte hip-hop band Eyes of the Elders, drag performer Jessica Wild from Logo’s “RuPaul’s Drag Race,” teenaged transgender singer-songwriter Ryan Cassata, recording artist Adam Tyler, indie rocker Richard Cortez and many others.

Charlotte Mayor Anthony Foxx and Mecklenburg Board of County Commissioners Chairman Jennifer Roberts are scheduled to speak at the Pride Charlotte Festival on Aug. 27 at 2 p.m. on the festival’s Stonewall Stage. For more on this year’s festival, a festival map and entertainment line-up, visit PrideCharlotte.com/events/festival/.

Pride Charlotte Week will run Aug. 19-28. The week-long series of events includes an art exhibit, an interfaith Pride worship service, diverse nightlife events, a family-friendly picnic and more. In addition, “The Sounds of Pride,” a joint concert in celebration of Pride Charlotte will be presented by the Charlotte Pride Band, Gay Men’s Chorus of Charlotte and One Voice Chorus at the Mint Museum Uptown on Thursday, Aug. 25. For more information on Sounds of Pride and for tickets, visit PrideCharlotte.com/SoundsofPride/.

Pride Charlotte, a project of The LGBT Community Center of Charlotte, is the largest event across the Carolinas celebrating the lives and culture of the LGBT community. A portion of proceeds from the event benefit The Center.

About Charlotte Pride

Charlotte Pride is the leader in LGBTQ visibility in Charlotte and the Carolinas. We present and collaborate on programs, projects, and activities, including the annual Charlotte Pride Festival and Parade, Charlotte Trans Pride, Charlotte Latin Pride, and Reel Out Charlotte, among others. Since its founding in 2000, Charlotte Pride has expanded its year-round programming and partnerships to better connect community members with its mission, vision, and values. It is now one of the largest LGBTQ Pride organizations in the American Southeast.Learn more about our work...